The coping of the roof of the nave is formed of party-coloured tiles, which give it a singular bizarre effect when viewed from near by.
The interior divides itself in the conventional manner into three naves, which are bare and with no ornamentation whatever.
The pulpit is a real work of art, and there are some sculptured capitals in the choir which are quite excellent.
The baptismal fonts are elaborately carved. One of these, bearing the date of 1465, is shaped something like a gigantic egg-cup. Its bowl springs from the stem in eight facets, sculptured to illustrate the baptism of Christ in the waters of the Jordan, with figures of St. Lawrence, St. Jacques, St. Paul, St. Pierre, and St. Martin.
Holbein once made a series of decorations for the organ-case of this church, but they exist no longer.
Beneath the edifice, with its entrance from[{89}] the choir, is a crypt nearly as large as the nave itself, with a series of massive pillars supporting its vault and the pavement of the church proper.
There are numerous monuments within the church, including one to Erasmus, the illustrious Hollander who had made Basel his second home.
A stairway leads from the church to the chamber where was held, from 1431 to 1444, the famous Council of Basel. It is a vast, bare room, with no furniture whatever, except the benches upon which sat the prelates assembled at the council.
The cloister attached to the cathedral is daintily planned and contains a number of tombs of celebrated persons.
Behind the church is a magnificent terrace known as the Pfalz. It is planted with chestnut-trees, and its elevation, high above the level of the Rhine waters, makes it a magnificent promenade.